This Week's The Buzz Online Spotlight
In Manchester, the Shapiro Library at Southern New Hampshire University was named among 842 libraries and state humanities councils presented with the national Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Award. This honor will entitle the Shapiro Library to a collection of books, films, and a variety of other materials to help educate the community on the history and culture of Muslims both in the U.S. and around the world.
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The Capital Regional Development Council of Concord closed an $80,000 loan for the NH School of Mechanical Trades of Manchester. The loan is part of the U.S. SBA stimulus funded Intermediary Lending Pilot Program. This is the second loan from the $1 million that is available under this program.
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St. Mary's Bank, located in Manchester, donated a $2,700 grant to the Franco-American Centre, also located in Manchester. The funds will be used to help create and support an online and direct sales operation in support of the center.
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Professor Robert A. Oden, Jr. PhD, former president of Charleton College in MN and Kenyon College in OH, was named chair of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock board of trustees in Lebanon.
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Tom Dickson, commercial real estate agent for Stebbins Commercial Properties, Inc. in Manchester, announced the sale of 542 Harvey Road in Manchester to Continental Business System, also located in Manchester. The Registry of Deeds showed the sale price was $345,000, and Continental Business Systems will use the space for office, warehouse and distribution needs.
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ABM, a provider of integrated facility solutions in Bristol, announced its subsidiary ABM Franchising Group, LLC, signed a franchise agreement with Palmer & Sicard, a mechanical contracting company headquarted in Exeter. Palmer & Sicard is ABM Franchising Group's first franchise in NH.
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In Portsmouth, Prescott Park Arts Festival sold all $250,000 of a two-year allocation of Concord's CDFA tax credits for the park's pavilion building in less than five months of active fundraising. This NH tax credit program enables businesses to invest in community development projects in exchange for a state tax credit worth 75 percent of the donation.
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Dianne Mercier, president of People's United Bank NH in Manchester, and Michael Whitney, former NH president of Bank of America in Manchester, were elected to the board of directors of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, a nonprofit public policy research organization based in Concord. Mercier has served as NH president for People's United Bank since 2009 and has worked in banking in the state since 1985. Whitney retired from Bank of America in 2007, after 30 years in the financial services industry. He is principal at The Daymark Group LLC, a business consulting firm in Manchester.
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Derek Scialdone joined The Provident Bank as assistant vice president and manager of its Seabrook branch. Scialdone has more than 14 years of banking experience.
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Powered by more than $100,000 in energy efficiency incentives from New Hampshire Electric Co-op of Plymouth, the Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery of Woodstock is putting the finishing touches on a major expansion. The Woodstock Inn Station continues to grow with the construction of a 13,000-square-foot addition that has allowed owner Scott Rice to open a new function room and move his brewing operation inhouse. NHEC has provided energy efficiency incentives and expertise that will result in annual energy savings of $28,000.
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Price Chopper's 2012 "Check Out Hunger" campaign raised $24,682.13 and 34,349 pounds of food for 14 local food banks and their affiliated kitchens and pantries in six states including NH.
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The Manchester Community Music School of Manchester formed an auditioned honors brass quintet. Thanks to local businessman Bob Robbins, managing principal at Robbins Farley in Manchester, all five members of the Robbins Farley Honors Brass Quintet received merit-based scholarships to participate in the ensemble, directed by the school's faculty member Vincent Duval.
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New Hampshire Grand of Colebrook announced that The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem was named a certified grand adventure.
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The Farnum Center, a program of Easter Seals NH of Manchester, received a $10,000 grant from the Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund of Manchester to support clients struggling with addiction on their road to recovery and who cannot afford to pay the full cost of medical detoxification. The Farnum Center on Queen City Avenue will open April 2013.
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ProEx, a physical therapist-owned private practice, specializing in orthopedics, spine and sports medicine, in Stratham, named Andrew Dawkins of Exeter as exercise technician at its Stratham and Somersworth locations.
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In Rochester, Holy Rosary Credit Union recognized Megan Dean as employee of the quarter for the fourth quarter of 2012. Dean was promoted to senior financial associate in the fall of 2012.
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New England College, located in Henniker, conducted and released a poll that shows an overwhelming support for tougher gun laws. A New England College poll of 656 registered voters from the NEC Center for Civic Engagement show that a strong majority of voters support an assault weapons ban in NH.
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Dover Honda and Dover Chevrolet of Dover donated $10,000 worth of previously used equipment to the Dover High School and Regional Career Technical Center. The dealerships donated the Velocity Genesis Measuring System and a Chief Two Post Frame Machine.
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New Hampshire NeuroSpine Institute in Bedford announced the arrival of Neal Luther, MD, who specializes in surgical and minimally-invasive radiosurgical treatment of brain and spine tumors and functional disorders including trigeminal neuralgia, Parkinson's Disease, and tremors.
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